"Heav'n search my soul, and if thro' all its cells / Lurk the pernicious drop of pois'nous guile; / Full on my fenceless head its phial'd wrath / May fate exhaust"
— Shenstone, William (1714-1763)
Work Title
Date
1764, 1773
Metaphor
"Heav'n search my soul, and if thro' all its cells / Lurk the pernicious drop of pois'nous guile; / Full on my fenceless head its phial'd wrath / May fate exhaust"
Metaphor in Context
Perhaps by birth decreed, by fortune plac'd
Thy country's foe, Elvira's warmest plea
Seems but the subtler accent fraud inspires;
My tenderest glances, but the specious flow'rs
That shade the viper while she plots her wound.
And can the trembling candidate of love
Awake thy fears? and can a female breast
By ties of grateful duty bound, ensnare?
Is there no brighter mien, no softer smile
For love to wear, to dark deceit unknown?
Heav'n search my soul, and if thro' all its cells
Lurk the pernicious drop of pois'nous guile;
Full on my fenceless head its phial'd wrath
May fate exhaust; and for my happiest hour
Exalt the vengeance I prepare for thee!
Thy country's foe, Elvira's warmest plea
Seems but the subtler accent fraud inspires;
My tenderest glances, but the specious flow'rs
That shade the viper while she plots her wound.
And can the trembling candidate of love
Awake thy fears? and can a female breast
By ties of grateful duty bound, ensnare?
Is there no brighter mien, no softer smile
For love to wear, to dark deceit unknown?
Heav'n search my soul, and if thro' all its cells
Lurk the pernicious drop of pois'nous guile;
Full on my fenceless head its phial'd wrath
May fate exhaust; and for my happiest hour
Exalt the vengeance I prepare for thee!
Categories
Provenance
Searching "soul" and "cell" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Searching, finding over 16 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1764, 1768, 1769, 1771, 1773, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1781, 1788, 1790, 1791, 1797, 1798).
Text from The Works, in Verse and Prose, of William Shenstone, Esq. 2 vols., 4th ed. (London: Printed by H. S. Woodfall, for J. Dodsley, 1773). <Link to UVA E-Text Center>.
See also The Works in Verse and Prose, of William Shenstone, Esq; Most of Which Were Never Before Printed. In Two Volumes, With Decorations. (London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, 1764). <Link to Vol. 1 in Hathi Trust><Vol. 2><Vol. 3>
Text from The Works, in Verse and Prose, of William Shenstone, Esq. 2 vols., 4th ed. (London: Printed by H. S. Woodfall, for J. Dodsley, 1773). <Link to UVA E-Text Center>.
See also The Works in Verse and Prose, of William Shenstone, Esq; Most of Which Were Never Before Printed. In Two Volumes, With Decorations. (London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, 1764). <Link to Vol. 1 in Hathi Trust><Vol. 2><Vol. 3>
Date of Entry
08/17/2005
